Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS)

Social Media Toolkit

Focus on What Matters for the Holiday Season

From November through December, our lives all switch gears ramping up for the holiday season. From shopping to travel, stress, and safety, there’s so much to think about during the holidays that it can be hard to keep up. This social media toolkit covers a variety of holiday topics to help families focus on what matters most... having happy holidays.

This toolkit includes:

Social media messages
Resources
Sample images to share

These messages and links can be used as is, or they can be customized in any way that works best for your community by directing to your prevention program’s information.

Keep an eye on the Get Parenting Tips Facebook and Instagram feeds as well for more social media updates.

Sample Social Media Posts

Hashtags: #HappyHolidays #HolidayTravel #HolidaySafety #HolidayStress #HolidaySelfCare #HolidayShopping #HolidayGifts #HolidayPresents #ToySafety #SafeToys #PlayItSafe

Travel

Is your family traveling this holiday season? Keep this free holiday travel tip sheet handy to help with planning, safety, and stress: tinyurl.com/HolidayTravelGPT
Road food isn’t always the healthiest option while traveling, especially for kids. If your family is traveling for the holidays, here are some helpful tips about healthy meals and snacks for kids:
tinyurl.com/HealthyMealsGPT
If you’re traveling with kids this holiday season, don't forget to pack healthy snacks! Letting kids help pick out their snacks may help reduce tantrums on the go. Aim for two food groups in each snack, like apples and peanut butter or cheese and carrots. Do your snacks match up? Find out here: tinyurl.com/HealthySnacksGPT
It’s not easy to stay healthy while traveling, but knowing the basics of a healthy family lifestyle can be a good starting point to keep everyone’s health in check on the road: tinyurl.com/HealthyLifestyleGPT
If you’re traveling with a little one this holiday season, and they have trouble getting to sleep at home or on the road, this article can help you turn bedtime into the best time: tinyurl.com/BedTimeBestTime
During holiday travel, try to stick to your child's usual routines, including sleep schedules and timing of naps, to help you and your child enjoy the holidays and reduce stress: tinyurl.com/BedTimeBestTime
Need help coming up with healthy snack ideas for your children over the holidays? The U.S. Department of Agriculture has 10 snack tips for parents that include nibbling on lean protein, drinking low-fat milk, and more: tinyurl.com/MyPlateGovKids

Activities

Looking to keep kids engaged during holiday travel and downtime this season? Try this free downloadable activity and coloring book from GetParentingTips.com: tinyurl.com/ActivityBookGPT
Adults might think of playing as a reward, but for children, play time is necessary in helping them learn, grow, and develop skills they’ll use for the rest of their lives. As we move into the holiday season, learn more about the power of play and games to keep kids not only engaged, but learning during holiday downtime: tinyurl.com/GamesPlayGPT
Create travel games, like visual scavenger hunts or road trip bingo, to encourage family time on the road. Activities like exploring shapes, playing "I spy", and playing the license plate game can get your family engaged while you travel. Learn more family games at: tinyurl.com/FamilyActivitiesGPT
Looking for games to try with the kids in the car while traveling for the holidays? PBS KIDS suggests exploring shapes, which is fun and educational: tinyurl.com/ExploreShapesPBS
Over the holidays, your family's screen time might increase. Digital device time has gone from a distraction to the way we work, learn, stay in touch, and cope. Learn how screens impact your family and get screen time parenting tips at: tinyurl.com/ScreenTimeGPT
Do your kids ask about how the rest of the world celebrates the holidays? National Geographic Kids shares unique traditions, celebrations, and holidays that occur around the world during December and January: tinyurl.com/NatGeoWorldHolidays

Stress

Kids need a daily routine to help keep them healthy, happy, and out of trouble. The holidays often disrupt that routine. To reduce holiday stress, discuss any family travel plans ahead of time, pack in advance, schedule travel around nap time, and pack snacks. For more tips to help you plan your holiday schedule, visit: tinyurl.com/FamCalGPT
There's a lot to think about when making holiday plans. Try this free tip sheet to help make handing the holidays a little easier this season: tinyurl.com/HandlingHolidaysGPT
Shopping can be stressful for both parents and kids, especially during the holidays. Try this free tip sheet to help make shopping more stress-free with little ones: tinyurl.com/ShopStressFree
Need help handling holiday stress? Checkout this GetParentingTips.com article to help deal with parenting stress: tinyurl.com/StressSelfCareGPT
Need help handling holiday anxiety? Checkout this GetParentingTips.com article to help deal with parenting anxiety: tinyurl.com/ParentAnxietyGPT
The holidays are often the busiest time of the year. Slow down and enjoy it. When you feel overwhelmed, take a break and try taking a deep breath, go for a walk, laugh, phone a friend, or try some pointers from this free tip sheet: tinyurl.com/HolidayStressGPT

Safety

As the holiday season nears, here's a free handy brochure for holiday safety tips in Texas to help keep your family safe this season: tinyurl.com/HolidaySafetyTipsheet
Holiday shopping is in full force! Do you know if the toys you're buying for your kids are safe? Use this free tip sheet to find out: tinyurl.com/SafeToysTCHP
This time of the year, gift giving is fun and exciting for the whole family. Remember to be careful with toys, wrapping, and decorations to keep your kids safe this holiday season. Learn more: tinyurl.com/ToysDSHS
Consider your child’s age when purchasing a toy or game this holiday season and read the instructions to make sure the gift is just right. To help ensure your kids have fun and stay safe this holiday, here are a few tips to remember from Safe Kids Worldwide: tinyurl.com/SafeKidsHolidays
Even after the holiday gifts have been opened, keep an eye on little ones with their new toys and keep batteries and hazardous toy components out of their reach: tinyurl.com/SafeKidsBatteries
Each year, more than 3 billion toys and games are sold in the United States, with 65 percent of these sales occurring between the day after Thanksgiving and the day before Christmas. Learn about how to prevent toy-related choking in children at: tinyurl.com/SafeToysKidsHealth
Gifts are fun for the whole family, but remember to be careful with toys, wrapping, and decorations to keep kids safe this holiday season. Learn more about toy safety at: tinyurl.com/ToysDSHS
If you or someone you know will be shopping for kids toys this holiday season, be sure to check this Consumer Product Safety Commission recall resource to make sure you purchase the right and safe gift for little ones: tinyurl.com/RecallsCPSC
Thinking of getting a bike for someone in your family this holiday season? Learn the do’s and don’ts of bike and pedestrian safety so it can be the gift that keeps on giving safely: tinyurl.com/BikeSafetyGPT
Ensuring your child’s safety is a parent's number one priority, whether it's in the car, around the water, when they play, or while they sleep. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to know where to begin, but have no fear - GetParentingTips.com can help: tinyurl.com/SafetyGPT
Will you be traveling by car with your family during the holidays? Child car safety isn't only necessary while inside a vehicle. Did you know many accidents happen in or around vehicles when they are parked or idling? Learn more at: tinyurl.com/CarSafetyGPT
Some kids can't tell the difference between a toy and a real gun. This holiday season, use caution with toys that can be mistaken for real firearms. Learn how to talk to kids about gun safety and what to do if they see a real gun: tinyurl.com/GunSafetyGPT
A good way to keep your little one safe in and around the house during the holidays is to childproof your home. Learn how at: tinyurl.com/BabyProofGPT
During the holidays and cold weather, make sure your baby has a safe sleep space alone in a crib, on their back, without blankets or toys. Learn more: tinyurl.com/SafeSleepGPT
Are you traveling with a baby this holiday season? If so, be prepared to give your baby a safe sleep space on the go. Learn how: tinyurl.com/SS-GPT
Texas gets chillier during the holidays. In this cooler weather, remember to practice the ABC's of safe sleep:
A = ALONE in their crib
B = On their BACK
C = In an empty CRIB
S = In a SMOKE-free environment
For more #SafeSleep and #BabySafety info visit: tinyurl.com/BabiesGPT
Practicing water safety shouldn’t only be during summertime. It’s just as important year-round, especially during bath time. Once your baby is settled into their bath, never leave them alone, not even for a second. Drain the water once your baby has finished bathing and never take your eyes off them. For more water safety tips around all water, visit: tinyurl.com/WaterSafetyGPT